Filling feeler mechanism



Au 26, 1941. w. J. BUDZYNA 2,254,100

- FILLING FEELER MECHANISM Filed Oct. 12, 1940 23 INVENTOR. W ML TEE uf 50oz Y/VA E125. I vclzmkgm Patented Aug. 26, 1941 FILLING FEELER MECHANISM Walter J. Budzyna, East Douglas, Mass, assignor to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application Octoberlfl, 1940, Serial No. 360,977

7 Claims.

Thisinvention pertains to filling feeler mech anisms for automatic replenishing looms and more particularly relates to the housing of such mechanism.

Feeler mechanisms now in general use usually comprise a housing and a feeler mounted therein for movement forwardly and rearwardly of the loom and in feelers of the sideslipping type for movement transversely of the loom. The feeler is usually supported and guided by surfaces of the housing. One of the guiding surfaces usually acts as a stop against which the feeler slides in its movements forwardly and rearwardly of the loom. Due to the rapid reciprocation of the feeler, such supporting and guiding surfaces are worn away and replacement of the feeler housing becomes necessary.

Accordingly it is a principal object of my invention to provide in a housing for a feeler of a feeler mechanism a renewable member detachably mounted in the housing and having surfaces for supporting and guiding the feeler in its movement forwardly and rearwardly of the loom and transversely thereof, one of the guiding surfaces acting as a stop against which the feeler slides in its movements forwardly and rearwardly of the loom.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an attachment having supporting and guiding surfaces which is adapted to be de- I Fig. '3 is a perspective view of the guide attachment shown on Fig. 1; I

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 but showing a second modification of my invention; Fig. 5 is a view taken on line 55 of. Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the modification of the guide attachment shown on Fig. 4. Myattachment may be appiied to any'type of feeler housing in which a movable feeler is mounted, howeverQthe particular feeler mechanism shown to which my attachment has'been applied may be similar to that disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 1,593,426 granted to Brown and Repass on July 20, 1926.

In the drawing, the feeler stand or housing ZIhas an upper supporting and guiding sur- .movement of the feeler.

may comprise a base member l and a cover member 2 secured together by means such as screw 3. A feeler 4 is mounted in the housing and extends outwardly therefrom through an opening .5. Opening 5 is made with sufficient lateral dimension to permit a side slipping The side wall 6 and the bottom Wall 77 of the opening form support- I ing and guiding surfaces for supporting and guiding the feeler in its movement forwardly and rea-rwardly of the loom and transversely thereof.

The feeler 4 has an arm 8 extending substantially at right angles thereto. A spring 9 is attached to arm 8 adjacent one end thereof as at H] and the spring is secured to the rear end of the housingas at H. The spring 9 serves to keep the feeler in its rearward feeling position. The end 2 o f thearm 8 slides in a groove i3 in the base member and bears against a stop l l whenthe feeler has reached its rearward feeling position. A transmitter [5 extends into the housing through an opening l6 where it is positioned to 'be'engaged and moved outwardly by the feeler i. when it moves transversely of the loom. The transmitter I5 is connected to a train of me'chanism for'efiecting replenishment of filling. It is not considered necessary herein to illustrate the train of mechanism for effecting replacement of filling since the details thereo-f'fo-rm no part of the present invention and are fully and clearly shown in the Brown and Repass patent.

The base member I has a recess it formed therein adjacent" the opening 5r 'Detachably secured in recess I is a member having supporting and guiding surfaces for supporting and guiding the feeler 4 in its movement forwardly and rearwardly of the loom and transversely thereof. i 7 v 1 In one embodiment of my invention as shown on Figures 4, 5 and 6, thesupporting and guiding member may comprise a flat plate I! formed of metal or wood or any other suitable material. The upper surface of plate I! forms asupporting and guiding surface i8. one end of plate ll is an. upstanding flange l9;

Flange l9 hasa' combined stop and guiding to the supporting and guiding surface it. v The plate ll is dimensioned to fit tightly with-the recess It and the tightness of the fit securely holds the plate within the recess.

The modification shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 may comprise a plate 2| similar to plate l1. Plate Located adjacent.

face 22 and at one end an upturned flange 23. Flange 23 has acombined stop and guiding surface 24 substantially perpendicular to the supporting and guiding surface 22. Plate 2| is so dimensioned that three of its side walls form a close fit with the side walls of the recess. A member 25 of resilient material such as rubber or the like is located in the recess between the end of plate 2| that carries the flange 23 and the inner wall of the recess. Resilient member 25 helps retain the plate 2| in the recess and in addition permits a slight give by the combined stop and guiding surface 24 upon the forward and rearward movement of the feeler.

The supiporting and guiding surface iii of plate I! and the supporting and guiding surface 22 of plate 2| are contiguous to and substantially in the same horizontal plane as the bottom wall I of the opening 5. The combined stop and guiding surface 29 of flange l9 and the combined stop and guiding surface 24 of flange 23 may be in the same vertical plane as the side wall 6 of the opening or may project beyond side wall 6 as shown on Figs. 1 and 4.

The recess for the reception of the attachment may be formed in the base member I when the base member is first made. In cases of old housings in which the side Wall 6 and bottom wall 1 of the opening 5 have become worn, a recess may be out in the housing and an attachment inserted therein to provide new supporting and guiding surfaces.

Having thus fully disclosed the preferred embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. A feeler mechanism for looms comprising in combination a housing, a feeler mounted therein for movement forwardly, rearwardly and transversely of the loom, and a plate detachably mounted in said housing adjacent the rear end thereof, said plate having an upstanding flange along one edge parallel to the feeler, the inner surface of said flange forming a stop against which said feeler slides in its movements forwardly and rearwardly of the loom, and the upper exterior surface of said plate forming a supporting and guiding surface for supporting and guiding said feeler in its movements.

2. A feeler mechanism for looms, comprising in combination a housing having a recess therein, a feeler mounted in said housing for movement forwardly, rearwardly and transversely of the loom and a plate detachably mounted in said recess, said plate having an upstanding flange along one edge, the inner surface of said flange and the upper surface of said plate forming supporting and guiding surfaces for supporting and guiding said feeler in its movements and a rubber member mounted in said recess between said flange and one wall of said recess.

3. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler housing having an opening at the rear end thereof, said housing comprising a base member having a recess therein adjacent said opening, a cover member, means for securing 'said members together, a feeler mounted in said housing and extending outwardly through said opening, said feeler having a sliding motion forwardly and rearwardly of the loom and a member having exteriorly disposed supporting and guiding surfaces for supporting and guiding said feeler in its movements, one of said surfaces being parallel to said feeler and acting as a stop against which said feeler slides in its movements forwardly and rearwardly of the loom, said supporting and guiding member being detachably mounted in said recess.

4. A feeler mechanism for looms comprising a housing having an opening at the rear end thereof, a feeler mounted in said housing and extending outwardly through said opening for movement forwardly, rearwardly and transversely of the loom, and a supporting and guiding plate detachably mounted in said housing, said plate comprising an exterior horizontal supporting and guiding surface for supporting and guiding said feeler in its movements forwardly and rearwardly of the loom and throughout its movements transversely of the loom and a substantially vertical combined stop and guiding surface parallel to said feeler for supporting and guiding said feeler in its movements forwardly and rearwardly of the loom.

5. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a housing having an opening at the rear end, said housing comprising a base member and a cover member, a side slipping feeler mounted in said housing and extending outwardly through said opening, said feeler having a sliding motion forwardly and rearwardly of the loom and transversely thereof, said base member being recessed adjacent said opening, a removable plat mounted in said recessed portion, said plate having an upstanding flange along one side parallel to said feeler, the inner surface of said flange forming a combined stop and guiding surface for said feeler in its movements forwardly and rearwardly of the loom, the upper exterior surface of said plate supporting and guiding said feeler in its movement forwardly, rearwardly and transversely of the loom.

6. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a housing having an opening at one end thereof, said housing comprising a base member and a cover member, a feeler mounted in said housing and extending outwardly through said opening, said feeler having a motion forwardly, rearwardly and transversely of the loom, said base member being recessed adjacent said opening, a removable plate mounted in said recessed portion, said plate having a vertical and a horizontal supporting and guiding surface for supporting and guiding said feeler in its movement, and resilient means for detachably securing said plate in said recessed portion and permitting a slight give to said vertical supporting and guidin surface.

'7. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a housing comprising a base member having a recessed portion therein and a cover member, a feeler mounted in said housing for movement forwardly, rearwardly and transversely of the loom, a removable plate mounted in said recessed portion, said plate having an upstanding flange along its inner side, the upper surface of said plate and the inner surface of said flange forming supporting and guiding surfaces for said feeler in its movements and a resilient member interposed between the flanged end of said plate and one wall of said recessed portion.

WALTER J. BUDZYNA. 

